


A Choice

by Zebra (DQueenie13)



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 02:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15329979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DQueenie13/pseuds/Zebra
Summary: The honor of the Begnion army had smouldered long ago, but if Levail could protect its last embers, he would follow his heart without regrets.





	A Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Invincible, the Camus Archetype Zine.](http://www.storenvy.com/products/24148224-invincible-charity-fanzine-pdf-download)

Levail never liked being in Begnion’s capital. Being in the capital meant being at  _ that man’s _ beck and call, and his presence was suffocating at best, maddening at worst. Serving as  _ that man’s _ general didn’t even have any perks; Levail’s words were as good as dirt to the self-centered nobles who sacrificed men for their own dreams of glory.  _ That man _ was everything those nobles were, except worse: egotistical, greedy, manipulative, and ruthless.

If Levail had a choice, he’d never serve such a man. But if  _ that man _ came to you with a request, you knew it was not something you could refuse. So when he had been approached with an offer to serve as  _ that man’s _ general, Levail knew better than to turn it down. He had family to protect, after all.

Family. Now that he thought about it, he had only visited home twice since he started serving  _ that man _ . He was otherwise too busy or too fearful of the Senator’s ire to take the time off. When was the last time he’d written home? Eight months? A year? He had no idea anymore.

_ “You look so weary, my son. Has your station been difficult for you?” _

When he recalled the last time he saw his family, he remembered how his mother shed tears for him when she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the fresh scars on his arms. But they knew just as well as he did that the Senators were not to be opposed. He was a Senator’s general now, and so he would be until he died, whether it was on the battlefield or by his own employer’s hand.

His mind snapped itself out of its reverie, and he found himself in the corridor next to the Senate chamber. It was empty, like the rest of the building. Ever since that bright light had shone, most of Begnion’s citizens had been turned to stone. Most of those who were not petrified were soldiers who now had glassy eyes and spoke only of “cleaning the world’s taint” and serving the Goddess Ashera’s will. Nothing about their futures or their families. No complaining about their rations or their harsh training. The everyday banter, noise, and  _ chaos _ he was so accustomed to was gone.

Just then, he heard  _ that man’s _ voice from the chamber. “…no choice but to lead the army ourselves and destroy them once and for all! We are the chosen ones! Our will is the will of the goddess!”

_ Of all the people  _ not  _ to change, why him? _

“Y-yes. Quite. As you say, Vice-Minister.”

If his memory served him right, this voice belonged to Senator Hetzel. Years ago, he stood on equal ground as Lekain. Now, Hetzel was now little more than a yes-man. He didn’t know what exactly caused this, but Levail had an idea of what Hetzel must have experienced based on his own interactions with Lekain.

“When I've beaten that brat, Sanaki, I'll make her kneel before me and plead for her life! Heh heh heh!”

The door to the chamber swung open, and Lekain strode out. It was then that Levail realized he’d never reported to Lekain during the army’s struggle against the Laguz Alliance, having followed Zelgius instead. Lekain would not be pleased to see him, considering his reactions to past petty failures.

“Hm?” Lekain eyed him with a quirked brow, and Levail braced for the worst. “The patrols shouldn’t be coming through here. Go rejoin the rest of the ranks, soldier.”

That was it.

Lekain turned on his heels and sauntered away, leaving Levail alone again. A myriad of motions surged through Levail at once before they all fell into a dead silence. Rage, amusement, hate, relief, despair. Every training session he endured, every battle he commanded, every scar he bore fighting. Was this the sum of his efforts? To be completely forgotten, reduced to nothing but a common soldier in the Senator’s eyes?

…No. There was someone who remembered him. There was someone who recognized his efforts, commended them, and placed his trust in him. General Zelgius… the last true knight. The Begnion army’s star of hope. He was powerful, capable, and most of all, honorable. He could fix the country’s wrongs…

For the first time, Levail had a choice. His duty called him to return to Lekain’s side, ungrateful as the man was. Yet Zelgius had asked for his help in fighting the invading forces when they inevitably reached the Tower of Guidance. Zelgius was honorable and rescued the unjustly-imprisoned Prime Minister, while Lekain was willing to harass and harm the young Apostle who had Begnion’s best interests at heart.

Levail’s choice was clear. The honor of the Begnion army had smouldered long ago, but if he could protect its last embers, he would follow his heart without regrets.

**Author's Note:**

> Levail is one of my underrated faves—a pity the extended dialogue for _Radiant Dawn_ went mostly unlocalized, because he has some more in-depth dialogue there.
> 
> Speaking of in-depth, my initial plans for this fic would've made it much longer, but due to the zine's page limits, I decided to trim most of it out. I ended up being quite satisfied with its current incarnation, however; most of my fics tend to be long and verbose, so this was a change of pace.
> 
> I have ideas for a multi-chapter Levail-centric fic, but first, I need to work on my already-existing pile of multi-chapter fics that update only once a year. I'm sorry for neglecting you, my fan fics!


End file.
